Jim Mora remembers the nerves he had as a first-year defensive coordinator.

It was in the middle of the 1999 season and he sat in the 49ers’ office on a Thursday night, the last major day of preparation before game day. Sitting in the dark alone, he worried about how ill-prepared his San Francisco squad looked. He thought, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’

Three days later, the 49ers crushed the Atlanta Falcons. They totaled five sacks and allowed just 144 yards.

Little has changed since those days, even if Mora already has weathered two decades of NFL coaching stress. Now in his second year at the college level, he looks toward UCLA’s season opener on Aug. 31 with similar anxiety.

“I want it to be here quickly and I wish it was another year away at the same time,” he said. “It’s never been anything other than that for me.”

If the 51-year-old coaching veteran still gets nervous, then what of UCLA’s touted freshmen? The Bruins reeled in one of the program’s best classes in recent memory, one ranked No. 3 in the country by Scout.com. They will rely on many of those youngsters to fill holes, particularly in the secondary.

“My sense about these kids — and hopefully it’s confirmed as we go through the season — is that it’s not too big for them,” Mora said.

On Friday, he named 17 players who will contribute immediately when they play Nevada at the Rose Bowl. On defense, the list includes five-star defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes — who said he is over his back injury — and nose tackle Kenneth Clark, who has performed well enough in practice to avoid a potential redshirt year.

On offense, perhaps the most prominent names will be Caleb Benenoch and Thomas Duarte. The former, who played in front of crowds of 25,000 in Katy, Texas, likely will start at right guard. The latter will split reps at Y-receiver/tight end with senior Darius Bell.

Coming home

Despite his mother’s pleas, Tyler Foreman has done his best to stay away from home as he tries to immerse himself with the team.

He’s been gone for a month now, his longest-ever stretch, but the Pasadena native said he will be ready to see some familiar faces when UCLA opens its season.

The freshman safety said he expects 10-20 friends and family members will be watching him at the Rose Bowl.

“I think once the game starts, the nerves will calm down,” Foreman said.

Midwest welcome

Former UCLA quarterback T.J. Millweard has transferred to Kansas to play for head coach Charlie Weis. Millweard has yet to play a snap in a college game, but the man once known for coaching up Tom Brady already has lavished praise on him.

Advertisement

“He’s a top-line talent,” Weis told the Topeka Capital-Journal. “He’s not just another guy. You don’t want somebody coming into your program that’s just some kid off the street who’s going to be your fifth quarterback.

“This is a kid that’s going to come in and compete to play.”

Millweard, a three-star prospect in 2012, redshirted his first season with the Bruins. He competed for the backup spot behind Brett Hundley before deciding to transfer.